Philip the Arab
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The FGM-172 SRAW (Short-Range Assault Weapon), also known as the Predator SRAW, was a lightweight, close range missile system produced by Lockheed Martin, developed by Lockheed Martin and Israel Military Industries.[1] It was designed to complement the Javelin anti-tank missile. The Predator had a longer range and was more powerful than the AT4 that it is designed to replace, but had a shorter range than the Javelin.
The Predator was a fire-and-forget weapon utilizing a pre-launch system where the gunner tracked the target three seconds before launch and the internal system measured target speed and direction and was used in conjunction with known missile flight performance to predict where the target would be when the missile was in a position to intercept. The missile's flight path would overfly the target aim point. A dual laser and magnetic sensor would detect the target and trigger the detonation of the warhead. The laser sensor would locate the positions of the leading and trailing edges of the tank, and the magnetic sensor would provide confirmation of the position of the tank. The missile also used an inertial guidance unit to guide the weapon over the predicted intercept point, compensating for crosswind and launcher motion (the launcher may be mounted on or fired from a vehicle). For direct attacks the missile acted as an unguided, flattened trajectory, line-of-sight weapon and the warhead detonates on impact.[2]
Advantages[edit]
The Predator is a useful complement for Javelin since it has a significantly shorter minimum range, especially in direct attack mode where it can be fired window to window across a typical street. It is also much lighter than Javelin which makes carrying one or more additional rounds easier where the situation warrants or allows a lighter and shorter range solution. Additionally, because it utilizes a different guidance mechanism it is more difficult to defeat both threats with a single defense. It can also be carried by every member of the platoon, giving infantry units increased firepower and survivability against enemy armor.
Variants[edit]
The missile was produced in two variants, each with a separate weapons payload.
The FGM-172A featured a downward-firing top attack warhead activated by a dual sensor fuse, intended for use as an anti-armor weapon.
The FGM-172B featured a multi-purpose blast-fragmentation warhead, intended for use as an assault weapon. Also known as the FGM-172B SRAW-MPV.
History
The SRAW (Short-Range Assault Weapon) program was begun by the U.S. Marine Corps in 1987 as a replacement for existing unguided M72 LAW and AT4 anti-armor rockets. A demonstration/validation phase was conducted by several companies between February 1990 and mid-1993, with the first test firings occurring in 1991. In July 1994, the Predator design of Loral (now Lockheed Martin) was selected for the EMD (Engineering and Manufacturing Development) phase. EMD Phase I was completed in March 1998, followed by Phase II; 230 missiles were produced during EMD. In February 2002, the Marine Corps signed a contract with Lockheed Martin for the low-rate initial production (LRIP) of 330 Predator systems, with a second LRIP contract for 400 systems signed in January 2003. In October 2003, the Marine Corps announced a decision to cancel further procurement of the system following completion of low-rate production. The system successfully completed first article and lot 1 testing at the Naval Air Warfare Center, China Lake, California in December 2003.
So the main components of the missile are a pre-launch system that detects speed of the target, direction of the target, and the performance of the missile from pre flight data, accelerometer, gyroscope, and by calculating the velocity. The warhead fires above a target which ensures destruction because the top armor is the thinnest.
The reason I think Pakistan can do this is because it seems fairly simple with even a military grade microcontroller able to control all of these systems. I assume there are lines of codes that tell the system what to do and when and it seems fairly simple for Pakistan to do albeit the short range of the missile could be a downside if a similar range missile was made.
The Predator was a fire-and-forget weapon utilizing a pre-launch system where the gunner tracked the target three seconds before launch and the internal system measured target speed and direction and was used in conjunction with known missile flight performance to predict where the target would be when the missile was in a position to intercept. The missile's flight path would overfly the target aim point. A dual laser and magnetic sensor would detect the target and trigger the detonation of the warhead. The laser sensor would locate the positions of the leading and trailing edges of the tank, and the magnetic sensor would provide confirmation of the position of the tank. The missile also used an inertial guidance unit to guide the weapon over the predicted intercept point, compensating for crosswind and launcher motion (the launcher may be mounted on or fired from a vehicle). For direct attacks the missile acted as an unguided, flattened trajectory, line-of-sight weapon and the warhead detonates on impact.[2]
Advantages[edit]
The Predator is a useful complement for Javelin since it has a significantly shorter minimum range, especially in direct attack mode where it can be fired window to window across a typical street. It is also much lighter than Javelin which makes carrying one or more additional rounds easier where the situation warrants or allows a lighter and shorter range solution. Additionally, because it utilizes a different guidance mechanism it is more difficult to defeat both threats with a single defense. It can also be carried by every member of the platoon, giving infantry units increased firepower and survivability against enemy armor.
Variants[edit]
The missile was produced in two variants, each with a separate weapons payload.
The FGM-172A featured a downward-firing top attack warhead activated by a dual sensor fuse, intended for use as an anti-armor weapon.
The FGM-172B featured a multi-purpose blast-fragmentation warhead, intended for use as an assault weapon. Also known as the FGM-172B SRAW-MPV.
History
The SRAW (Short-Range Assault Weapon) program was begun by the U.S. Marine Corps in 1987 as a replacement for existing unguided M72 LAW and AT4 anti-armor rockets. A demonstration/validation phase was conducted by several companies between February 1990 and mid-1993, with the first test firings occurring in 1991. In July 1994, the Predator design of Loral (now Lockheed Martin) was selected for the EMD (Engineering and Manufacturing Development) phase. EMD Phase I was completed in March 1998, followed by Phase II; 230 missiles were produced during EMD. In February 2002, the Marine Corps signed a contract with Lockheed Martin for the low-rate initial production (LRIP) of 330 Predator systems, with a second LRIP contract for 400 systems signed in January 2003. In October 2003, the Marine Corps announced a decision to cancel further procurement of the system following completion of low-rate production. The system successfully completed first article and lot 1 testing at the Naval Air Warfare Center, China Lake, California in December 2003.
So the main components of the missile are a pre-launch system that detects speed of the target, direction of the target, and the performance of the missile from pre flight data, accelerometer, gyroscope, and by calculating the velocity. The warhead fires above a target which ensures destruction because the top armor is the thinnest.
The reason I think Pakistan can do this is because it seems fairly simple with even a military grade microcontroller able to control all of these systems. I assume there are lines of codes that tell the system what to do and when and it seems fairly simple for Pakistan to do albeit the short range of the missile could be a downside if a similar range missile was made.
